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Easiest way to collect pollen from flowers?

Q-tips (ie. cotton swabs) work well for collecting the pollen on and then using to pollinate - hard part is trying to keep the thing from self pollinating before you get to it. ( unless you remove the anthers before they become viable )
 
Could do it the way the Chile Pepper Institute does it using Bees (see around the 2 minute mark in the video )
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd2z6EPGVck
 
If you want to collect pollen for storage, you can use a flower sifter (link for pics) to seperate the pollen from flower. Then you can store pollen in these (link) for a long time if stored correctly (temps/humidity/etc). That's basically how I do it with canna pollen...
 
 
Free-Shipping-Kitchen-Stainless-Steel-Manual-8-Cup-Crank-Flour-Sifter-Food-Sifter-Flour-Shaker-Strainer.jpg

 
 
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Flower sifter can be bought at Alberstons for $6 or so
 
 
 
 

I sift the pollen over a mirror and scrape up with a razor. They have funnels for those Boston Round bottles, but the pollen sticks tot he metal and you will lose a lot.
 
 
 
 

TIP: be SURE to label the bottles!!!
 
 
 
 
 

I like to dump more than a few grains of desiccant (Amazon link) in the bottle with the pollen as well
 
 
 
 
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I just use mini centrifuge vials, I have a 100 count storage box, Just tap viable flowers over vial, freeze and store. I just recently used one year old pollen for a cross and it took. 
 
I number the vials and keep a spreadsheet indicating what pollen is in each vial. I also do a similar spreadsheet for crosses with the butterfly tags. 
 
PIFPP1Y.jpg
 
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